Ranchers running beef cattle on dry and dusty landscapes should consider smaller cows to get the best out of their herd according to researchers at Oregon State University, University of Wyoming and Oklahoma State University.

With funding from NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), scientists developed a statistical model that showed smaller cows have distinct advantages over larger ones in pastures where the cows don't have much to chew on.

Breeding smaller cattle could be a long-term strategy to help ranchers and ease pressure on an increasingly drought-prone range, noted Leticia Henderson, a livestock and range Extension agent at Oregon State University.

Read more about Oregon State University research.

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